With the Canadian National Team coming off a dominating 7-0 away from home win over St. Lucia last Friday, striker Simeon Jackson is rightfully receiving many of the plaudits for becoming only the second player in the history of the Canadian National team to score a hat trick. That said, it is also important to recognize that Canada went into the St. Lucia fixture with the majority of their recent first choice defenders, including de facto team captain and key central defender Kevin McKenna, unable to play due to injury. With that in mind, it’s hard not to be impressed with the way that 21 year old central defender Adam Straith stepped up in his first World Cup qualifier and delivered a standout game. As for Straith himself, he’s generally more concerned with delivering another victory over Puerto Rico than he is in spending too much time patting himself on the back.
“I think that as a team we did quite well. Sometimes those types of games are difficult to play in as a defender and it can be tough to look good in those games because you have so much of the ball. But I think we did quite well at the back and I was satisfied with my performance. I'm hoping to bring it again on Tuesday,” said Straith at BMO Field on Sunday, where the Canadian team was working to ready themselves for another World Cup qualifying match against a team that many consider to be the toughest opponent for Canada in their initial qualifying group.
While in recent years, the Canadian central defense pairing have often been penciled in as Kevin McKenna plus a young Canadian central defender, Friday’s victory actually marked the debut of a completely new central defense pair of Straith and Burnley defender David Edgar. According to Straith, their first match playing together went about as well as it could have been expected to.
“We had trained together, but that was the first time that we have played together. It was good and I think we worked well. Obviously it will come with time and the more we play together the easier it will get. But I think it went well given that it was the first time.”
At 21 years old, Straith is still a young and developing player at a position where the stalwarts are often grizzled veterans. And he’s quick to admit that he is both still very much on an upward learning curve and that his very much open to learning from the veteran players on both his German club, Energie Cottbus, and those on the Canadian National Team.
“I'm definitely still learning a lot in Germany. It's true what they say about centrebacks, that it is a position for a more experienced player. But to be around guys like Kevin McKenna here with the National Team and there are experienced guys on my club in Germany, it's a good opportunity to learn from them and to see how they handle the high pressure situations.”
With many pointing to Straith as a player they hope will follow in the footsteps of National Team defensive stars like McKenna and Jason De Vos, the Victoria, British Columbia native admits that the opportunities to play with Canada against CONCACAF and South American opponents have provided a nice complement to the European competition he has faced playing with Cottbus.
“Yeah, for sure it helps. It's good to have to adapt to different ways of playing and opponents with different styles of play. When you are playing against CONCACAF teams you are always playing against a different style of opponent. And I think the ability to adapt is very important for the future.”
While Straith has struggled at times to find consistent first team playing time competing in the German Second Division, he admits that in the long the run the experience will only make him a better and more consistent player.
“There is a lot of competition (in Europe) and what I have learned is that when you have your chance, you have to take it. It breeds competitiveness and, especially in Germany, they pound it into their players at a young age that they have to compete for their spots.”
With Straith having played his previous match for Canada as a left back against Greece last February, the 6 foot 2 inch defender welcomed the move back to central defense against St. Lucia. And while he was very solid defensively, he also played a very strong game in which he effectively played the ball out of the back and set up the Canadian attack, which was a part of his game that Canadian soccer fans likely had not witnessed previously. As for Straith, he considers his ability to play the ball out of the back one of his strengths and it is something that he is continually working to refine under the tutelage of the top class coaches that are the norm in Germany.
“It's always something that I have found to be one of my strengths as a centre back. And it's a lot easier when you have guys moving off the ball and creating space, like we had against St. Lucia. I'm looking to bring those qualities in on Tuesday and I know we are going to bring the same amount of movement on Tuesday, so hopefully we can bring that again against Puerto Rico.”
While Straith doesn’t outwardly look much different from the player last seen in a Canada kit over half a year ago, he was quick to admit that he believes he has grown and improved as a player since he previous outing against Greece. And all eyewitness reports from St. Lucia seemed to highlight a player who looked confident and in control while playing a key role down the spine of the Canadian team.
“I think that as a young player and a young defender you are always growing. And I think if you always take it the right way and take your experiences the right way, it's always good to get all of these experiences and to go forward. And, yeah, I think I have changed in the last few months.”
Following the completion of Tuesday’s match against Puerto Rico, Straith will hop on a plane back to Germany with a singular focus as to what he wants to accomplish at the club level.
“Just to get more playing minutes. I've been getting some minutes here and there, but I'm looking to get them on a more consistent basis, whether it's in the reserves or in the first team, whatever they have planned, just to get playing minutes and a consistent playing level going.”
|